


The Next Step in the Evolutionary Cycle of Relationships

by shions_heart



Category: Free!
Genre: (Rin always comes with angst), First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Smut, Non-Graphic Smut, Smut, Some smuts are more graphic than others???, but nothing too graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-02 23:30:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4077985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shions_heart/pseuds/shions_heart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A trip to the beach gives Nagisa, Rei, Sousuke, Rin, Makoto, and Haruka a chance to explore the next step in their respective relationships. (A Reigisa, Sourin, and MakoHaru fic.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nagisa and Rei

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive the cheesy title. It felt poetic.
> 
> This is also my very first attempt at writing smut in a fanfic, so please bear with me. I hope ya'll enjoy it. XD
> 
> The order of ships presented will be: Reigisa, Sourin, MakoHaru

It’d been a year since the Iwatobi Swim Club won 6th place at the national competition. Rei and Nagisa did their best as co-presidents of the club during their third year, and with Rei’s well-planned routines and Nagisa’s enthusiasm, they were able to make it through the prefecturals. Unfortunately, they lost to Samezuka in the nationals, which, while disappointing, had both Nagisa and Rei glad for their friends Ai Nitori and Momo Mikoshiba. Still, it somewhat frustrated Rei that their last year at Iwatobi was met with defeat.

In an effort to cheer him up, Gou suggested a camping trip to the beach for summer vacation. She said she would contact Makoto, Haruka, and even Rin and get them to join in. This greatly lifted both Rei’s and Nagisa’s spirits, and they quickly began preparations for the trip.

“Rei-chan!” Nagisa exclaimed as they sat on bus that would take them to the beach Gou selected. “Do you think Haru-chan, Mako-chan, and Rin-chan are excited to see us?” He kicked his legs up and down, ignoring the passing scenery in favor of watching Rei’s face.

Rei looked up from his book, adjusting his glasses. “It’s been a little over five months since we saw them last,” he pointed out. “I would think they’d be looking forward to this as much as we are.” He gave Nagisa a reassuring smile, confident that his words were true.

“Rin-chan has to come a really long way to visit for only a couple of days. I’m really happy that he decided to join us.” Nagisa grinned, still bouncing.

Seeing Nagisa so elated created a warm feeling in Rei’s chest. After they’d lost at nationals, Nagisa had seemed quieter than usual, to the point where Rei began to worry about him. When Gou suggested this trip, Rei saw how Nagisa brightened, and became more like his old self. This pleased Rei, and in private he’d thanked Gou for coming up with the idea.

“I knew Nagisa needed some cheering up,” Gou had said with a smile. “You did too. Plus, I think it’s about time we all hung out together again, don’t you?”

Now, here on the bus, Rei glanced over at Gou in the seat across from them, texting someone on her phone. She looked up at him after a moment, catching his eye. She gave him a smile, which he returned.

“Rei-chan,” Nagisa whined, pulling on his arm. “You’re not listening to my story.”

Rei flushed, realizing he hadn’t even noticed Nagisa had started a story. He focused his attention back onto his friend, though he couldn’t help but note that Nagisa hadn’t let go of his arm. The heat on his cheeks lingered, and he tried to think of a way to carefully detach from Nagisa without the other boy getting offended. Although he usually didn’t mind Nagisa’s displays of affection, lately they’d grown more frequent.

Normally this wouldn’t have been an issue, but Rei had been hounded by some rather interesting and somewhat uncomfortable dreams recently. Only two weeks ago he’d dreamt of being in space with Nagisa, who turned out to be an android who gave up his life so Rei could return to earth to be with the real Nagisa, and he’d awoken with such strong emotions that he’d hugged Nagisa in the middle of class. Afterwards he’d been acutely embarrassed, as he was sure the display had _not_ been beautiful.

Unsure about what these new intense feelings for Nagisa were, Rei had started carefully and respectfully distancing himself from the other boy. So far it didn’t appear that Nagisa had noticed, for which Rei was grateful. He wasn’t sure how he’d explain himself if Nagisa asked him about it.

“Rei-chan, you’re not listening again,” Nagisa pouted, tugging on his arm once more.

“I apologize,” Rei said, adjusting his glasses. “I was just thinking about how nice it’ll be to swim with Makoto-senpai and Haurka-senpai again.”

Nagisa grinned. “I can’t wait!”

Rei sighed inwardly in relief that Nagisa hadn’t realized he was lying. He felt somewhat bad about that, but he wasn’t about to have a confrontation about it in a public bus.

An hour later they arrived at the beach Gou had selected. It was pristine. The sand sparkling in the sun, the water clear and glistening as it stretched out toward the horizon. Because it was a private beach, there were only a few families there, umbrellas up, sandcastles made.

“Ooooh, Gou-chan!” Nagisa exclaimed, rising up on his toes in excitement. “This place is perfect!”

“It really is beautiful,” Rei admitted, glancing over at the girl beside them with a small smile.

“Thank you,” she said happily, before smacking Nagisa on the arm with her beach bag. “And it’s Kou!”

“Look! It’s Haru-chan and Mako-chan!” Nagisa cried, ignoring her and pointing down the stone steps that led to the beach, where two figures were walking along the sand, heading toward them.

Rei noticed how the smaller of the two figures walked closest to the water, and how both of them were walking so close together, their shoulders were almost touching. Before Rei could contemplate what that meant, Nagisa was racing down the steps and onto the beach.

“Haru-chan! Mako-chan!” he exclaimed, not stopping when he got to them, but rather jumping at them, his arms spread wide to hug them both at the same time. In doing so, he knocked them to the ground, and the three became a tangle of arms and legs.

Rei wasn’t far behind. “Haruka-senpai! Makoto-senpai!” he cried, flinging his arms around the three as they sat up.

The four of them laughed, and Rei couldn’t stop the tears of joy rising unbidden to his eyes. He blinked them back as best he could, but he was overwhelmed by emotion at the sight of his two friends, returned after five months in Tokyo. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized how much he’d truly missed them. Looking at Makoto’s grin, and the brightness of Haruka’s eyes, Rei wondered how he’d lived this past year without them.

Nagisa’s face was buried in Makoto’s chest, and Rei realized he was crying as well. Makoto stroked Nagisa’s hair, and Haruka’s hand lay steadily on Rei’s shoulder, and all Rei could think of was: _this is home_.

 ***

“. . . and then Rei-chan turned around, and there I was in the Iwatobi-chan suit! He jumped a mile in the air and landed in the pool! It was hilarious!”

Rei flushed as Makoto, Gou, and Nagisa laughed hysterically. Even Haruka smiled. After a full day of swimming in the ocean, racing each other, and having impromptu relays, the five of them settled down around a campfire, having already eaten the picnic Gou had prepared for them. One thing led to another, and they started swapping stories.

Shaking his head, Rei held up his hands in protest.

“It startled me! It could’ve happened to anyone,” he insisted, but he couldn’t help but feel pleased that Makoto and Haruka were entertained by a story starring himself. Of course, the animated way Nagisa told it made it seem a lot funnier than he remembered the incident to be.

“Do you have any embarrassing stories, Mako-chan, Haru-chan?” Nagisa asked, leaning forward with a grin, hands on his knees.

Makoto and Haruka exchanged a glance, and Makoto smiled faintly.

“Well, there is this one—”

“We don’t have to talk about that,” Haruka interrupted quickly, and Rei watched with some bemusement, as a silent conversation seemed to pass between them, before Haruka broke eye contact and turned instead to the campfire before them.

“Huh? I want to hear the story!” Nagisa exclaimed.

“I can tell you a different one,” Makoto said, turning to look at the younger boy. He paused, looking thoughtful as he tapped his chin. “Well, I don’t know how funny this is, but it sure was embarrassing. So, I have a class at eight in the morning, and I set my alarm. But for some reason it doesn’t go off, and by the time I wake up it’s already eight-oh-five. So I rush to get out of bed and down to the lecture hall, and it’s only when I burst into the room and everyone turns to look at me, that I realize that I’m still in my pajamas, wearing my jacket over nothing, and the book I grabbed wasn’t even the right one! It was very embarrassing.”

Nagisa burst out laughing once more, and even Rei couldn’t help chuckling, as he imagined a tousled and confused Makoto standing in front of a college classroom.

Once Gou stopped giggling, she looked down at her phone, which had buzzed. She gave a small cry of happiness, holding up her phone to show the rest. “Onii-chan says he’ll be here tomorrow!”

Haruka looked surprised. “He’s coming up here all the way from Australia?” he asked.

Gou nodded. “As soon as I told him about this trip he booked a flight,” she said with a grin. She moved to stand then, stretching her arms over her head. “Well, I better get going,” she said, picking up her bag.

“Oh, Gou-chan, you’re not staying with us?” Nagisa asked, pulling a sad face.

“I’m staying with a friend who moved out here after she graduated,” Gou said with a grin. “I wasn’t about to sleep on the sand in a tent with a bunch of smelly boys, no matter how beautiful their muscles.”

Makoto moved to stand. “Would you like me to walk with you?” he asked, but Gou shook her head.

“No, I’ll be alright. It’s just around the corner from here. You four have fun!”

She waved, before turning to leave. The four of them watched her go, before turning to each other.

“So . . . Nagisa, Rei. Have either of you decided what you want to do after you graduate?” Makoto asked curiously, settling back down beside Haruka.

“I’m going to be a penguin tamer! Or an astronaut!” Nagisa exclaimed excitedly. “Or a zookeeper. Or—”

“We haven’t decided yet,” Rei explained. The truth was he was having a hard time choosing a college he would like to go to, because of the fact that Nagisa had no idea still where he was going or what he was going to be doing. As pathetic as he knew it was, Rei didn’t want to go to a college that would be too far away from Nagisa. If they could go to the same college that would please him immensely. But he couldn’t even choose one that would be near Nagisa if the other boy didn’t choose first.

It was something that he’d been meaning to talk to Nagisa about, but the prefectuals and nationals had gotten in the way.

“You should check out the colleges in Toyko,” Makoto said with a smile. “See if any of them have classes you’d like to join.”

“I’ll research them,” Rei promised with a nod, wondering if he could talk Nagisa into checking them out with him. He turned to look at the smaller boy, but before he could ask, Nagisa yawned so widely, Rei could see into the back of his throat.

“We should get some sleep if we want to be up in the morning to swim some more,” Makoto suggested.

“We brought tents,” Nagisa said, gesturing to the lumpy bags Gou had left behind. “I’m sleeping with Rei-chan.”

Rei fought back another blush, trying not to think of the prospective proximity, as Makoto glanced between them.

“And here I thought we would be nostalgic and sleep the way we had last time we were on a beach together,” he said, smiling gently.

“No, no, you and Haru-chan have to sleep together,” Nagisa said with a knowing smirk, winking at the two of them.

Rei noticed how Makoto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and Haruka looked away toward the water, his cheeks turning a faint pink.

“Nagisa-kun!” he hissed, nudging his friend.

“Huh? They’ll be more comfortable that way,” Nagisa said, feigning innocence.

“Well, we’d better get the tents up. It’s getting late,” Makoto said, standing once more and stretching, before grabbing one of the tents and walking off higher up the beach to start setting it up.

“Haru-chan,” Nagisa said softly, leaning forward conspiratorially. “You should go help him.”

Haruka stared back at Nagisa blankly for a moment, before sighing softly and standing to go assist Makoto. Rei nudged Nagisa again.

“What are you doing?” he hissed.

“Didn’t you notice how Haru-chan and Mako-chan seem closer?” Nagisa asked with a grin.

Rei thought back to the events of the day. He _had_ noticed how Makoto had seemed to hover nearer to Haruka than usual. The way he always turned first to Haruka when he spoke, and how Haruka had swam beside Makoto as much as possible. But that was normal, as far as Rei was concerned. They’d always acted like that, hadn’t they?

“They’ve always been close,” Rei said then, adjusting his glasses.

But Nagisa was already shaking his head. “I’ve known them since middle school. It’s different this time. I can tell.” He laid his hand on Rei’s arm, leaning toward him with an urgent expression.

Rei could feel his heart pounding faster at the proximity. Swallowing hard, he shook off Nagisa’s hand. “It’s none of our business, Nagisa.”

“But—”

Rei stood abruptly. “Makoto-senpai and Haruka-senpai seem happy and well-adjusted, and that’s what we’ve always wanted for them, correct? I’m not going to try and ruin that with guesswork and assumptions.”

Nagisa frowned slightly. “But—”

“I’m going to set up our tent,” Rei said, ignoring the hurt look on Nagisa’s face, as he grabbed the other tent and walked over to where Makoto and Haruka were setting up. He began to set up the tent beside theirs, though he struggled some in the wind coming from the ocean.

Nagisa came over to help, uncharacteristically silent. Rei felt the guilt prick at his chest, but he wasn’t sure how to explain his actions. It was true that he wanted to leave Makoto and Harkua’s relationship alone, but he could have said that in a nicer way. He shouldn’t have brushed Nagisa off the way he had. Not only was it disrespectful, it was also unnecessary. Nagisa was his best friend. He’d always been able to speak to him about the things that bothered him.

But seeing as Nagisa was at the center of what was bothering him, Rei was having a difficult time coming up with words to describe it. Biting his lip, he watched Nagisa out of the corner of his eye. The other boy had his tongue between his lips as he focused on shoving the spike into the sand, wrestling with the tent flaps to attach it to the spike. As he watched, something stirred within Rei that caused his face to feel hot. He quickly turned away and fixated on his side of the tent.

Once it was up, the four of them said their goodnights, and Rei slipped inside the tent. He changed into his pajama pants, before making sure that Nagisa’s sleeping bag was spread out far enough away from his so that if the smaller boy moved around in the night, he wouldn’t accidentally touch Rei. He calculated it perfectly, which was why he sighed in frustration as Nagisa, who’d just changed as well, grabbed his sleeping bag and moved it closer to Rei’s, sitting down with a faint frown.

“Rei-chan,” he said softly. “Are you angry with me?”

Rei was in the middle of removing his shirt but paused at the sound of Nagisa’s desolate tone. With another soft sigh, he finished pulling it off and set it beside him. He turned to look at the boy next to him apprehensively. Nagisa sat with his knees pulled to his chest, arms wrapped around them tightly. The sight caused Rei’s chest to ache, and the guilt settled in more fully.

“It’s not that I’m angry, per se,” Rei admitted. “I’m more . . . frustrated.”

Nagisa lowered his legs into a crisscross position, his shoulders straightening. “Why are you frustrated, Rei-chan?” he asked curiously, the sad expression from before completely gone now.

Rei pondered how to answer without hurting Nagisa’s feelings. “We’re graduating in less than a year, and you have no idea what you want to do. And I just . . . I want you to choose a school that you’ll succeed at and be happy with. But you don’t seem interested in doing that!” There. That was a much better response than to tell Nagisa that his presence had started making him uneasy. Though everything he just said was true as well.

Nagisa raised his eyebrows. “That’s why you’re frustrated? Rei-chan, I have a lot of ideas of what I want to do; I was just waiting to see where _you_ would go so I could go to the same school or a school nearby.”

Rei stared at him, flabbergasted. “But . . . BUT I WAS WAITING FOR THE SAME REASON!” he exclaimed.

Nagisa started laughing, rocking back some as his hands gripped his knees. Rei felt a little sheepish and couldn’t help a soft chuckle of his own, rubbing the back of his neck. He stiffened then though, as Nagisa leaned forward to nuzzle his head against the curve of his shoulder.

“Rei-chan, we can go to college together,” Nagisa said happily, and Rei swallowed hard, shifting away slightly.

Nagisa noticed, however, and lifted his head, looking perplexed. “Rei-chan?” 

Rei bit his lip, adjusting his glasses. “We should get some sleep,” he said. “It would be rather beautiful to swim with Mokoto-senpai and Haruka-senpai during sunrise.”

There were goosebumps on his arms, though the night was pleasantly warm. He moved to lie down, doing his best to stifle the feelings that were swirling in his stomach, making him anxious. Almost immediately, he felt Nagisa’s hands on his arm, shaking him.

“Rei-chan!”

“I’m sleeping.”

“No, you’re not. You just laid down.”

“Well, I’m _trying_ to sleep.”

Nagisa shook him again, and Rei closed his eyes tightly, doing his best to strengthen his resolve, though it was slowly crumbling, as his emotions pressed against his chest, causing it to ache.

“Rei-chan. Reeeeei-chan. Rei-chaaaan.”

Nagisa continued to shake his arm back and forth, until finally Rei sighed and turned to look up at the face above him. Nagisa knelt beside his sleeping bag, his nose wrinkled slightly.

“Why won’t you talk to me, Rei-chan? You always tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s _wrong_ . . .” Rei said hesitantly.

“Then why won’t you talk to me?”

“Because I’m tired . . .”

“Are you mad at me?”

“No . . .”

“Did I do something bad?”

“No . . .”

Nagisa frowned, as he grew more frustrated. “Did I say something? Are you upset with something I did? Is it about me? Is it about Haru-chan? Mako-chan? Rin-chan? Are you upset about nationals? Are you nervous about college? Are you—”

Rei became flustered with this hurried questioning until he felt overwhelmed. He sat up quickly, knocking heads with Nagisa, who broke off with a grimace, rubbing his forehead. Rei yelped softly, rubbing his own forehead, before looking over at Nagisa in a panic.

“I’m sorry, Nagisa-kun!” he exclaimed. “I just . . . I don’t know how to explain myself. I am . . . I am starting to have these feelings, feelings I don’t quite comprehend, and it is confusing for me, so I am attempting to understand them. I don’t mean to be distant toward you, and I’m very sorry if you think I am angry with you, because I am not.” He shook his head, stumbling over his words as they spilled out of him. “It is only that . . . that these feelings are towards you, and when you are affectionate with me the feelings rise up stronger and I . . . I . . .” He trailed off, noticing how Nagisa was starting to grin.

“Rei-chan,” Nagisa said slowly, moving closer to him and wrapping his arms around Rei’s neck.

Rei’s heart began to pound faster, and his breath hitched as Nagisa pressed a light kiss to his cheek. “N-Nagisa-kun . . .”

Nagisa didn’t say anything in reply, simply kissed his cheek again, pressing his body against Rei’s, until Rei fell back against his sleeping bag under the weight of him. His breathing grew ragged, and his heart felt as though it was going to burst from his chest. Nagisa seemed calm, which surprised Rei. It wasn’t until Rei lifted his hand and pressed it gently against Nagisa’s back that he felt the rapid heartbeat of the smaller boy.

“Don’t worry, Rei-chan,” Nagisa said, lifting up to look down at Rei with a small grin. He gently removed Rei’s glasses, setting them aside. “I’ll help you understand.”

Rei felt his cheeks grow hot, as Nagisa grinned and then kissed him. Immediately, Rei’s grip tightened on Nagisa’s shirt, as he kissed him back. He wasn’t very practiced with kissing, and for that matter neither was Nagisa. But Nagisa’s confidence seemed to help, as the kiss wasn’t awkward, so much as inexperienced. He didn’t try anything fancy with his lips, for which Rei was grateful. It was difficult enough trying to breathe normally without Nagisa complicating matters.

Still, slowly, Rei began to relax in the kiss, even began moving his lips some. He lifted his head slightly in an attempt to get closer to Nagisa, who moved so he was straddling the taller boy. This caused Rei’s stomach to flip-flop dangerously, and his skin quivered as Nagisa’s shirt rode up and the skin of their torsos touched with each breath. A pool of heat seemed to gather in his abdomen, drifting down between his legs, though Rei was so focused on the technicalities of the kiss that at first he didn’t notice.

Just as Rei felt they were beginning to get the hang of the kiss, however, Nagisa began to giggle. Pulling away, Rei flushed, afraid he was laughing at the amateur response to his original kiss. But when he opened his eyes, he saw Nagisa’s cheeks were flushed, and the giggle seemed a little nervous.

“Are you happy, Rei-chan?” he asked, his grin turning coy.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Rei asked, his own cheeks getting warmer.

Nagisa pushed himself up on his hands, bracing them on either side of Rei’s head, as he glanced down between them. Rei followed gaze, noticing then the tent that had formed in his pants. Mortification overcame him, and he quickly turned to the side, pulling his knees up to his chest in an attempt to hide the embarrassing display.

“I-I’m s-sorry, Nagisa-kun!” he stammered, grimacing with his eyes squeezed shut.

“It’s okay, Rei-chan,” Nagisa said, the playful tone disappearing.

Rei opened his eyes in time to see Nagisa move to lie on his side in front of him. With a small grin, Nagisa pressed his forehead lightly against Rei’s, and his foot snuck under the crumpled top of the sleeping bag to nudge Rei’s leg. Instinctively, Rei straightened his legs slightly. He watched Nagisa’s expression, trying to read it.

“N-Nagisa-kun?”

Nagisa’s grin widened, and he moved his body closer. Rei watched him, eyes wide, wondering what he was thinking. Then he felt a soft touch against his abdomen, which caused him to gasp. But before he could even think to say anything, Nagisa’s hand dipped into his pants and wrapped around him.

“N-Nagisa-kun!” Rei stiffened in reflex.

Nagisa nuzzled his face against Rei’s gently. “Do you want me to stop, Rei-chan?” he asked quietly.

Rei’s brain scrambled to find some sort of meaning to his thoughts, in order to put them into words. As startling as it was, the feel of Nagisa’s hand around his erect member was extremely pleasurable, even as he simply held it. Nobody had ever touched him in this way before, and although he had given himself release for health purposes a few times previously, he’d never thought that anyone else would. Especially not Nagisa, of all people.

His heart pounded quickly in his chest; his blood rushed in his ears. Slowly, he shook his head, his forehead rubbing softly against Nagisa’s.

“N-no,” he admitted in a small voice.

Nagisa smiled, kissing the tip of Rei’s nose, as his hand began to move. A strangled gasp escaped Rei’s lips, and he struggled to control the flush that seemed to be spreading throughout his entire body. As Nagisa’s fingers stroked up and down, Rei found himself arching into the touch. His breathing grew more labored, and he panted quietly. His fingers curled into the sleeping bag beneath them, before moving to Nagisa’s side instead and curling into the smaller boy’s shirt.

“Rei-chan,” Nagisa said with a low sigh.

Rei stared at Nagisa’s face, and Nagisa looked back at him for a moment, before his eyes closed. Rei noticed how flushed the other boy seemed. He ventured a look down and bit his lip, as he saw the tent in Nagisa’s pants. Hesitantly, he moved his hand down, slipping it past Nagisa’s hips, and then around to the front of him to lightly brush his fingertips along the hardened length.

Nagisa’s lips parted, a soft moan escaping. The look of pleasure on his face had Rei transfixed.

It was beautiful.

For a brief moment, he disregarded the feel of Nagisa’s hand and focused his attention on moving his own across Nagisa’s erection, emboldened as Nagisa’s moans continued. Once his hand began to move faster, however, Nagisa’s picked up the pace as well. A small noise sounded deep within Rei’s throat and was answered by a higher one from Nagisa.

Afraid of the others hearing, Rei quickly covered Nagisa’s lips with his own, kissing him fervently. Nagisa responded in kind, and for a long moment the sound of skin against skin was the only noise in the tent. But as Rei felt the pressure inside him build, he couldn’t help the groans that escaped, muffled though they were by Nagisa’s mouth.

“R-Rei-chan,” Nagisa panted gently, as they broke the kiss to breathe.

Rei could feel Nagisa’s body trembling, so he moved his hand faster, running his thumb over the tip and feeling the pre-cum gathering there. His own body was starting to react as well, and he knew he would finish soon.

He leaned back slightly, wanting to watch Nagisa’s face as the other boy came. He didn’t have to wait long. It took only a couple more tugs before Nagisa gave a sharp cry, nose scrunched, eyes tightly shut, as his back arched. That beautiful sight alone was enough to send Rei over the edge, and he came as well with a heavy moan.

For a moment, the two could only lay there, panting heavily. Rei reached for his shirt, but then hesitated, wondering if he really wanted to soil it. Nagisa noticed and sat up, taking off his own shirt and cleaning them both off, wiping the area between them as best he could.

His face was sweaty, his hair sticking to it, and his cheeks were flushed. Rei doubted his own face looked much different. He bit his lip, Nagisa’s features blurring as he sat up further to toss his now dirty shirt to the opposite end of the tent. He settled back down beside Rei then, grinning faintly once more.

“Did you like that, Rei-chan?” he asked, his eyes glittering hopefully.

Rei swallowed hard, nodding. “You are very beautiful,” he said softly. It was the only thing he could think of to say in that moment.

Nagisa’s eyes widened, as did his smile. “You really think so?” 

Rei nodded again. He couldn’t remember now why he’d had such misgivings about his feelings toward Nagisa. In that moment, everything seemed clear. What he felt for Nagisa was deep and significant, and he knew that he never wanted to be apart from Nagisa. Nagisa was the most important thing in Rei’s life, even more so than swimming. He felt that plainly with everything in him.

“I think you’re beautiful too, Rei-chan,” Nagisa said, lowering himself back onto the ground to snuggle up against Rei’s chest.

Slowly, Rei wrapped his arm around Nagisa, trying to comprehend what was happening. But then he realized that he didn’t need to figure out everything just then. He could worry about how this changed their relationship and what the implications of it all were later. For right now he could simply hold Nagisa and take comfort in his presence. That was what he wanted.


	2. Sousuke and Rin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is more explicit than the last one. Because, let's face it, Sourin is hot.
> 
> Again, I'm inexperienced with writing smut, so I apologize for any errors.

Sousuke’s shoulder ached, but he clenched his teeth and continued the repetitions. Once he got to the number his physical therapist recommended, he was tempted to continue, just to prove that he could. But instead he sighed and lowered the dumbbell to the floor. The last thing he wanted was to further injure himself. The healing was going slowly, and it frustrated Sousuke to think that one more day stretching and exercising was one more day away from Rin.

Standing, he crossed over to the bed where his phone lay, wiping his face with a towel to rid it of sweat. He saw he had a missed call from Rin and quickly picked up the phone to call him back.

Rin answered on the first ring. 

“Asshole. You so broken up about me leaving you that you’re ignoring my calls now?”

Sousuke chuckled, sitting on the edge of his bed. “I didn’t realize you had time to call, seeing as you’re training to be a big name in the Olympics now.”

He could practically hear Rin’s shark-like grin from the other side of the phone. “I’ll always remember the little people who helped set me onto the road of success.”

“So I’m a little person now? I’ll have to make you pay for that later.” Even as he said it, Sousuke felt the familiar ache in his chest that he often felt whenever he talked to Rin these days. It’d been five months since his friend left for Australia, and not a day went by that Sousuke didn’t miss him immensely. Although they called each other all the time, it just wasn’t the same.

“Why wait until later? I can kick your ass right now,” Rin said.

Sousuke straightened, his hand tightening around his phone. “Huh?” Did he mean . . .

A knock sounded at his door. Immediately, Sousuke stood and crossed over to it. Phone still in hand, he opened the door to find Rin standing there, grinning that sharp-toothed grin, holding his phone to his ear. Sousuke stared at him for a moment, before grinning back at him and shutting his phone. He tossed it aside, and the two of them performed their secret handshake.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Sousuke asked then, shutting the door after Rin stepped through into the room.

“Your mom let me in,” Rin said nonchalantly, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked about the room.

Sousuke watched, his body tensing, as Rin walked over to the stack of college pamphlets that stood on Sousuke’s bedside table. He didn’t appear to notice them, though, but instead focused on a swimming poster above the bed, as Sousuke tried to gather his thoughts and get over his shock.

“I meant, what are you doing in Japan,” he said, shaking his head to clear it.

“Gou invited me to go to the beach with her and Haru and the rest of them. Sort of a mini-vacation. I thought you might like to come with me.”

Rin glanced over his shoulder at him, but Sousuke looked away when he heard Haruka Nanase’s name. The mention of the other boy always caused Sousuke to bristle some. At first he hadn’t realized why Rin’s close friendship with Haruka bothered him so much, and it wasn’t until Rin began to cry when he found out about Sousuke’s shoulder that Sousuke suddenly understood how deep his feelings for Rin truly were. Seeing how much Rin truly cared for him, even though he’d known all along that the other boy did, stirred something within him.

He’d done a fair job of masking this, he thought, but knowing that Rin harbored strong feelings for Haruka always gave him an uneasy feeling akin to constipation. He didn’t like thinking about it, so he more often than not dismissed it. But it was difficult when Rin was standing there and talking about Haruka.

Except, he wasn’t. He was staring at him quietly, and Sousuke realized that he was expecting an answer. He tried to remember what else Rin had said. He’d stopped listening after Haruka’s name.

“So . . . you came here to see Nanase,” he said slowly.

Rin’s expression darkened. “If I was here just to see Haru, would I be standing in the middle of your bedroom right now?” he gestured to the side, staring at Sousuke with an intensity Sousuke both recognized and also didn’t, because he usually only saw it while they were swimming.

Rin stalked over to Sousuke, pressing his fist lightly against Sousuke’s chest. “Don’t be an idiot,” he said. “You’re better than that. My flight got in late today, and they’re already at the beach. So I figured I could stay the night here, and the two of us could go to the beach tomorrow. Together.” He lowered his hand.

Sousuke stared at Rin, not sure if he believed what he was hearing. “You and Nanase . . .”

“Are friends,” Rin finished flatly. “That’s all we are, and that’s all we’ll ever be.”

“But you wanted more,” Sousuke said softly. “I know you did. I could see the way you were enamored with him. You talked about him constantly.”

Rin turned his face away. “Tch. I was a kid,” he said, going over to the bed. He took off his pack, tossing it on the floor before falling back against the mattress, staring up at the ceiling then. “I’ll admit that my feelings toward Haru have always been strong,” he said softly then. “And he’ll always be very important to me. He helped me see how badly I wanted to win the Olympics for myself. I suppose, in a way, I was in love with him. Or perhaps I was simply in love with the idea of always racing against him. Of him always being there.”

Sighing softly, he sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. Sousuke watched him silently, not sure what to make of this confession.

“He never saw me in that way though,” Rin admitted wearily, tilting his head to the side.

“Are you sure about that?” Sousuke asked quietly. He’d never been very good at reading Haruka, but he knew there were strong feelings toward Rin in him as well.

Rin gave him a crooked grin. “Makoto’s always been the better match for him in everything except swimming. Once I realized that, I forced myself to start moving on. Haru and I will always be there to race against each other. We will always be the ones to push each other forward in competition. I feel that strongly. But as to everything else.” He stood, turning to face Sousuke, his expression resolute. “Sousuke, you have always been there for me. No matter what. Even when I stopped writing to you back when we were kids, you never got angry with me. While I’m in Australia, it’s you who I call whenever I can. It’s you who I want to see when I think about visiting. It’s _you_ who I came to first when I got here. You’re my best friend, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend my time with.”

Sousuke stared, a myriad of feelings coursing through him. He knew everything Rin was saying was true. Rin wasn’t the type to lie about such things. And even if he were, he’d never lie to him. The implications of his words started to ground themselves in Sousuke, and he couldn’t help the small smile that began to form.

“Careful, Rin,” he said softly. “You don’t want to start crying.”

“I’m not crying!” Rin yelped, clenching his fists, though his eyes did look brighter than usual.

Sousuke stepped forward, raising his hand to touch Rin’s chin lightly. He honestly wasn’t sure if Rin would ever get over Haruka; he’d resigned himself to the probability that Rin would pine forever. But now here he was, explaining that that wasn’t the case, and Sousuke had to reevaluate everything he’d told himself before. Everything was rather overwhelming, but he was quick enough to grasp it before it overcame him.

“You always were a softie,” Sousuke said, unable to resist the light jab.

Before Rin could protest, Sousuke did what he’d wanted to do for a long time now. He leaned forward and kissed Rin.

It wasn’t a soft kiss either. No, he’d waited too long for this moment to waste time with gentle, hesitant, schoolgirl-shy kisses. He grabbed Rin around the waist and pulled him close, almost lifting the slender young man off his feet in the process. Rin murmured in surprise, but it only took a second for him to recover. He shoved his fingers into Sousuke’s hair and kissed him back hungrily.

Sousuke nudged Rin’s legs with his, forcing the other boy back against the bed. After craving this type of intimacy for years, he wasn’t about to let an opportunity like this pass him by. Thankfully, Rin went willingly, allowing Sousuke to push him down on the bed. They broke apart, panting, and Rin smirked.

“How many times did you dream about this, Sousuke?” he asked teasingly, poking Sousuke’s leg with his foot.

“Shut up,” Sousuke said good-naturedly. He moved to take off his shirt, feeling gratified when Rin flushed and looked away. He chuckled. “You’d think you’d never seen my chest before.”

“Now you should shut up,” Rin said, even as he pulled his own shirt over his head.

“To answer your question,” Sousuke said then nonchalantly, as Rin removed his shoes and socks. “I’ve actually dreamed about this a lot.”

Once Rin’s feet were bare, Sousuke grabbed his legs, pulling him closer. He knelt between Rin’s legs on the bed, and Rin swallowed hard as he looked up at Sousuke.

“Oh, yeah?” Rin’s voice trembled, despite his obvious attempt at bravado.

“Yeah,” Sousuke answered with a smirk.

He leaned forward then, capturing Rin’s lips in another heated kiss. This time, he parted his lips right away, enjoying the way Rin gasped and responded in kind. Sousuke pressed his torso against Rin’s, stifling his own moan at the feeling of his warm skin. Rin shuddered at the contact, and his sharp teeth bit down on Sousuke’s bottom lip, drawing blood.

Sousuke jerked back instinctively, hissing in pain. He reached up to touch the spot gingerly, grimacing. Rin’s eyes were wide.

“Shit. Sousuke . . .”

“Don’t mind,” Sousuke said quickly, shaking his head. He wasn’t about to let a small thing like this ruin the moment. “That’s what I get for kissing a shark.”

He smiled reassuringly, and waited until he saw Rin relax and smile back to kiss him again. He was more careful this time, and as a result the kiss had a tenderness that the others had lacked. He placed his hands on Rin’s sides, rubbing them slowly for a moment. When they pulled away after that, they were both breathless.

Rin’s hair was tousled, strands falling across his flushed face, as his chest moved up and down quickly. Sousuke was confident he’d never seen a sexier sight. It caused an intense heat to gather in his stomach, traveling down until he could feel the pressure in his jeans. Biting his lip (then swiftly letting go as pain flared) he turned toward his bedside table, opening the drawer to pull out a small jar of Vaseline and a condom.

“You have that in there just waiting?” Rin asked hesitantly.

“Yes.” Sousuke paused, studying Rin.

“You’ve . . . you’ve done this before?”

Sousuke sat back on his heels. “Does that bother you?”

Rin shook his head sheepishly. “No, I just . . . I’ve never . . .” He stopped, looking embarrassed.

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. “You and Nanase never . . .”

“No, no!” Rin shook his head again, faster.

Sousuke couldn’t help but smile faintly. He felt pleased to know that he’d be Rin’s first. It felt right.

“If it’s any consolation,” he said absently, starting to unfasten his jeans. “I’ve only done it twice before with an old girlfriend.”

Rin wrinkled his nose. “I don’t want to hear about that.”

Sousuke shrugged. “I’m just saying . . . this is my first time with a boy.”

Rin seemed to consider this, and Sousuke finished removing his jeans. He didn’t do anything after, simply watched Rin, wanting to make sure he was comfortable.

“So . . . you probably won’t be any better at it than I am,” Rin mused finally.

Sousuke was so startled by that revelation that he laughed aloud. “ _That’s_ what you’re worried about?”

Rin’s shark grin returned. “You know I can’t have you best me at anything.” His expression shifted then, and an almost mischievous look entered his eyes. “In fact . . .”

Sousuke regarded him warily. “Rin . . .?”

With a smirk full of returned confidence, Rin moved his legs, wrapping one around Sousuke’s torso and knocking him over. With an exclamation of surprise, Sousuke suddenly found himself beneath a triumphant Rin.

“Seriously?” Sousuke asked, though his heart had started to pound rapidly. He swallowed hard, as he watched Rin slip out of his jeans. This wasn’t the way his dreams usually went, but he decided that there really wasn’t anything to complain about. He leaned back, closing his eyes and shivering, as he felt Rin’s lips travel up his torso. One hand gripped the blanket beneath him, while the other moved into Rin’s hair.

“You _would_ turn this into a competition,” he said shakily.

“I’m going to be the best you’ve ever had,” Rin said, his breath tickling Sousuke’s neck.

“You don’t—”

Sousuke cut off with a sharp intake of breath, as Rin lowered his hips onto his. Slowly, Rin began to rock against him. A moan escaped before Rin kissed him again. Sousuke lifted into the kiss, his hand moving to hold Rin’s hip. He wondered briefly if Rin had any idea what he was doing.

After a moment, Rin sat up. He lifted off Sousuke just enough to get rid of the last remaining clothes they had on. This caused them both to pause, as they evaluated each other. Rin’s ears started to grow bright red, and Sousuke couldn’t help but laugh softly. 

“I’m bigger than you,” he said with some satisfaction.

“Shut up,” Rin grumbled.

Sousuke could tell Rin was starting to grow self-conscious, so he sat up and kissed him gently. Carefully, he brushed his fingers across the erect tip, causing Rin to gasp against his lips.

“I like it,” he assured him.

“Shut up,” Rin said again, but that was all he needed to grow in confidence again. He shoved Sousuke back against the mattress and grabbed the condom, ripping it open with his teeth. He pulled it out and rolled it down over Sousuke’s member. Then, with a steady hand, he grabbed the jar of Vaseline beside them, scooping out a healthy amount. He wrapped his hand around Sousuke, coating him thickly. 

Just the feel of this set Sousuke’s heart racing, and his breaths began to hitch. Rin straddled his legs, his lithe body trembling with anticipation. Sousuke laid his hands on Rin’s thighs, stroking them in an attempt to soothe him.

“We can take this slow,” he said, masking his nerves as best he could for Rin’s sake.

Rin flashed him a quick grin. “You don’t think I can handle it?” he asked. “You’re not _that_ big.”

Despite the anxiety curdling his stomach, Sousuke rolled his eyes.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Rin ignored this. Moving forward on his knees, he reached beneath him, probing carefully with slicked fingers, until he found his entrance. Sousuke watched with bated breath, as Rin lined himself up. Suddenly, Sousuke remembered something.

“Wait!” he exclaimed.

Rin froze, his eyes wide. “Huh?”

“Just . . . it’s going to hurt a lot if you just . . .” Sousuke gestured vaguely with his hand, finding himself flushing against his will.

Rin’s eyes were as big as saucers as he continued to stare at him. “How do you know?”

“Common sense, idiot,” Sousuke said, shaking his head. “Just . . . let me.”

He picked up the Vaseline, dipping a few fingers in, before bringing them down between Rin’s legs. Very carefully, he pushed one finger up into him. Rin started, biting his lip. Sousuke waited until Rin had relaxed, before slowly moving it in and out of him. Grimacing, Rin grabbed Sousuke’s arms.

“Sou-S—”

Sousuke slid another finger in beside the first. Rin’s back arched, and he gave a small cry. Gently, Sousuke continued moving his fingers. Once Rin’s reactions resembled pleasure instead of pain, he removed them. Rin panted heavily, opening his eyes to look down at him.

“Shit,” he breathed, to which Sousuke only smirked.

With trembling hands, Rin braced himself on the mattress, as he lined himself up once more. Then, with a deep breath, Rin lowered himself onto Sousuke’s length. Immediately they both groaned. Sousuke felt Rin’s tightness around him and knew that he wouldn’t last long. Rin shook on top of him, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Afraid he would start hyperventilating, Sousuke sat up, wrapping his arms around the other boy. He held him close, burying his face in Rin’s hair.

“Just relax,” he murmured, though it came out somewhat strangled. 

“Shit, shit,” Rin gasped, clinging to Sousuke.

The two of them sat there for a moment, breathing hard. After a few seconds passed, Rin began to relax, aided by Sousuke’s hand rubbing his back in gentle circles. Hesitantly, Rin started to rock his hips. Sousuke couldn’t stop the low moan of pleasure that sounded. It seemed to encourage Rin, though, as he started rocking faster. Sousuke heard a soft whimper, and when he leaned back to look at Rin’s face, he saw him biting his lip, his expression one of pain mixed with pleasure. Sousuke lifted a hand to lightly brush Rin’s hair away from his face. Leaning up, he pressed a soft kiss on Rin’s forehead.

For a few moments, they moved with faint grunts and deep moans. Sousuke could feel himself nearing his climax, and he wrapped his hand, still slippery with Vaseline, around Rin’s hardened member. This made Rin twitch, but he didn’t slow his momentum.

Together they moved, panted, and cursed under their breaths, until Sousuke couldn’t take any more. He cried out, Rin’s name on his lips, as he squeezed his eyes shut and came.

He did his best to continue moving his hand on Rin and was rewarded with a spray of warm, sticky liquid across his chest. Rin trembled, cursing loudly, until he slumped forward and pressed his sweaty forehead against Sousuke’s shoulder.

“Rin.” Sousuke laid his clean hand on the back of Rin’s head, fingers burrowing into the red hair.

Neither of them moved for a few minutes, then Rin lifted his head with a lusty sigh. He gave Sousuke a shaky grin, before carefully moving to get off him. He grimaced as he did, and Sousuke watched him with some worry, as he peeled off the condom and threw it away in the trashcan by the bed.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice husky.

Rin nodded. “Just sore.”

For a moment neither of them quite knew what to say. A slightly awkward silence fell, and Sousuke cleared his throat.

“We should get cleaned off.”

“Yeah.”

Rin got off the bed, heading into the bathroom.

Sousuke leaned back against the mattress, staring at the ceiling as he listened to the shower start. As he came down from the high of the climax, he remembered that Rin was only visiting, and he would be returning to Australia soon.

He sighed, running his clean hand down over his face. As elated as he was that this had happened, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. As quickly as he’d gotten Rin, he would be losing him again.

The bathroom door opened, and Rin came out in a towel. Before he could say anything, Sousuke stood and walked over to pass him, closing the door immediately. As he rinsed himself down under the warm water, he thought of his shoulder. Only he was responsible for the shape it was in, and at the rate he was healing, he doubted he would ever be able to rejoin Rin in the world of competitive swimming.

With another sigh, Sousuke turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist. He stepped out of the bathroom to see Rin standing by the bed, still in just the towel, flipping through the college pamphlets that had been on the bedside table. Sousuke grimaced, but walked over, bracing himself for what he knew was coming.

“None of these are in Sydney,” Rin said, his voice tight. “And none of these programs you circled have anything to do with swimming.”

“No,” Sousuke admitted softly.

“You said you’d come swim with me again.” Rin turned toward him, eyes flashing.

Sousuke sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I said I’d think about it.”

“You know that when I said I’d wait for you, that I didn’t mean just to swim with you.”

“I know.”

“So what is this?” Rin flung the flyers at him, a few of them hitting his face.

He didn’t move.

“Are you seriously giving up? Have you honestly stopped believing in yourself? And what about this?” Rin gestured to their naked chests, the towels around their waists. “What was this then if you were never planning on joining me?”

Sousuke winced inwardly. He didn’t know what to say. Telling Rin that the physical therapy didn’t seem to be working would only lead to Rin calling him a quitter. And he wasn’t sure his pride could handle that.

“This was fulfilling a fantasy,” he replied instead.

Immediately he knew that was the wrong thing to say. Rin grew livid. He punched Sousuke across the jaw, knocking him off the bed. He landed on the floor, stunned. He’d never seen Rin this angry before.

“Bastard!” Rin yelled, his voice cracking as tears filled his eyes. “You don’t get to say shit like that to me. Not you. Not when you know how I feel about you.” He shook his head, turning away from Sousuke then as he started to cry.

Sousuke felt the guilt begin to eat at his stomach. Standing slowly, he stepped over to Rin to wrap his arms around him. At first Rin tried to push him away, but Sousuke just tightened his hold until Rin sagged against him.

“I’m sorry,” he said numbly, as he felt Rin’s hot tears against his chest. “I didn’t mean that. I just . . . I know how much you want to swim with me again, and I didn’t want to disappoint you. I didn’t want to join you, only to not be able to complete that dream.”

Rin sniffled, pulling away and wiping at his eyes. “But your physical therapy . . .”

Sousuke shook his head. “It’s not healing as fast as I would like, and I can’t hold off my education indefinitely.”

“I don’t . . . I won’t be disappointed if you can’t swim with me right away. I’ll only be disappointed if you give up on yourself.” Rin reached out to press his fist lightly against Sousuke’s chest. “Come to Australia. Do your physical therapy there, and I can help you find your dream.”

“I don’t know if my dream is in Australia.” But even as he said it, Sousuke knew that wasn’t quite true. Rin was in Australia, and looking at him right then made Sousuke realize that with whatever dream he had, whether it be an old one or a new one, he wanted Rin to be a part of it.

He lifted his hand to caress the side of Rin’s face, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. “But,” he continued. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to look.”

Rin’s eyes widened, and then he grinned.

“I win again,” he said.

Sousuke rolled his eyes, and pushed Rin down on the bed, before climbing on top of him and kissing him deeply.


	3. Haruka and Makoto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reference the MakoHaru mook "A Bubbling Starry Sky" a couple times in this chapter, and while you don't have to have read it to understand, you should go read it anyway. It's full of feels. :)

Haruka awoke with the feeling of sand in his hair and that someone was watching him. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know who it was. He could hear the sound of Makoto’s sleeping bag rustling, and the breaths of Makoto when he was awake, which differed from how he sounded while he slept.

"Let’s go watch the sunrise, Haru-chan.”

Haruka bit back the automatic response that would have told Makoto not to call him “-chan.” He wondered if he kept his breathing deep and even and did not speak Makoto would believe he was still asleep.

“I know you’re awake, Haru.”

Oh well.

Haruka sighed and sat up. He turned his head to look at Makoto, who was smiling at him. His hair was a tousled mess of a bedhead that was rather adorable, in a way, so Haruka turned his face away before Makoto could notice.

The two of them had moved to Tokyo together in order to go to school there. Because of their separate career goals, they didn’t go to the same university. However, their campuses were only an hour train ride apart, and as a result Makoto and Haruka often spent their evenings together, whether it was studying, eating supper, swimming, or playing video games. It wasn’t uncommon for either of them to fall asleep in each other’s dorm rooms by accident. This was how Haruka had learned the sounds of Makoto’s sleeping breaths, and how he knew that whenever Makoto woke first, he tended to watch Haruka as he slept.

If it had been anyone else, Haruka might have been bothered, but since it was Makoto he ended up feeling safe instead. So he let it slide. 

Makoto was about to say something else, when the sound of Nagisa’s voice interrupted him.

“Haru-chan! Mako-chan!”

“He’s been calling us for the past five minutes,” Makoto explained. “We should join them before they barge in.”

Haruka was about to ask why that would be a problem (seeing as they were both decent), but Makoto left the tent before he could. Not about to be left behind, he pushed back his sleeping bag quickly and rushed to follow.

Nagisa and Rei were already standing by the surf, Nagisa waving to them. Haruka lifted a hand in reply, but was distracted by the sight of the ocean, as the sun began to rise above it. The different colors of the clouds reflected across it, and the gentle waves glistened in the sunlight. It was beautiful, and set Haruka’s heart racing just to see it. He began to strip down to his bathing suit, and beside him, Makoto did as well.

Before he ran toward the water, however, Haruka turned to look at Makoto, studying him for any signs of anxiety.

“Makoto . . .”

“I’m fine, Haru,” Makoto assured him with a quick smile. It’d been the same the day before.

Trusting Makoto to tell him the truth, Haruka nodded and turned to race toward the water, the other three joining him. They splashed and swam and raced until Gou called them in for breakfast. She had a spread laid out for them, and they fell on the food hungrily.

“Is there mackerel?” Haruka asked, hanging back at first.

“Yes, Haruka-senpai, of course I got you the mackerel,” Gou said, hands on her hips, as she shook her head at him.

He ignored her tone, satisfied with her response. He took his place beside Makoto, who handed him the mackerel.

“This reminds me,” he said with a grin, “of this dream I had when you were a merman, Haru.”

“A merman!” Nagisa exclaimed in wonder.

“Hm, that must’ve been quite the nonsensical dream, as there are no such things as mermen,” Rei said, adjusting his glasses.

Makoto laughed. “You said something like that in my dream too,” he said.

“Were you a merman too, Mako-chan?”

Makoto shook his head, waiting until he finished chewing his latest bite to reply. “No, I was a fireman,” he said.

Haruka paused. As Gou exclaimed over how muscular Makoto must’ve been in the dream, he stared at his best friend in some disbelief. While he often had dreams where he was half-fish, or even pure water itself, he’d had one particular dream recently that had featured Makoto as a fireman. It’d ended up being a rather emotional dream, so he’d been too embarrassed to tell Makoto about it.

Makoto caught his gaze and gave him a smile, as he often did. But something about it seemed more meaningful somehow, and Haruka had to look away, his cheeks feeling warm.

“Last night Rei-chan—”

Rei sputtered, cutting him off. “N-Nagisa-kun!”

“I didn’t say anything!”

Haruka wondered what that was about, but before he or Makoto could ask, Gou shouted,

“Onii-chan!”

Haruka looked up. There, walking across the sand toward them, waving and smiling, was Rin. Haruka felt his heart begin to pound a little faster, as it often did at the sight of his friend. But then he saw who was walking beside Rin, and his mood darkened.

“Rin-chan! Sou-chan!”

Nagisa was on his feet and sprinting toward the two, before the rest of them could react. Then Gou, Rei, and Makoto stood and rushed over as well, calling Rin’s name and joining in on Nagisa’s hug. Haruka hung back. While he was happy to see Rin, he wondered what Sousuke was doing there. As he approached, he caught Sousuke’s eye. The other boy looked smug, and he met Haruka’s gaze levelly.

Haruka narrowed his eyes slightly. Why . . .

Then he watched, as Sousuke slowly and deliberately moved to touch the back of Rin’s hand with his own. It was just a light stroke, but Rin looked down and a slight flush colored his cheeks.

Haruka’s eyes widened, as he understood.

Sousuke had taken Rin. The message was clear. Sousuke was telling him that Rin no longer belonged to him.

As the others clamored over Rin and asked him questions about his new school, Haruka felt a chill run through him. He knew it was selfish, but all he had in the world was Rin, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei. And as much as he knew Rei and Nagisa cared about him, they’d always been closer to each other than to him. Rin understood him in a way no one else did. Sometimes even Makoto couldn’t see him the way Rin did. They had a connection . . .

He started as he felt an elbow in his side.

Looking up, he saw Makoto watching him with a troubled expression. For a moment, Haruka frowned back at him, before he realized that he was telling him to greet Rin. Haruka turned to Rin, who looked back at him with a perplexed, almost hurt look.

Haruka forced himself to smile faintly, stepping forward to touch his fist against Rin’s. “Welcome back. It’s good to see you,” he said truthfully.

“Come swim with us, Rin-chan!”

Always the best one to break tension, Nagisa grabbed Rin’s arm and pulled him toward the water.

“Hey wait! You’re supposed to wait 30 minutes after eating!” Gou shouted, chasing after them.

Nagisa simply laughed at her, and Rei hurried after them, shouting the same thing. As he and Gou attempted to keep Nagisa out of the water, Makoto turned to Sousuke.

“You’re looking healthy,” he said with a smile.

“Why do you have to be so friendly to him?” Haruka grumbled under his breath, knowing full well that Sousuke could probably hear him. Of course, Makoto ignored this.

“I’m doing really well,” Sousuke said.

Haruka looked away toward the ocean, tuning out the conversation. Nagisa had somehow convinced Rei and Gou to let him swim, so the three of them were in the water now, splashing with Rin. Haruka wondered why Makoto hadn’t just gone out there with them. Sometimes it really irritated him how welcoming and friendly Makoto was.

Pushing his frustration out of his mind, he pondered instead the dream Makoto had mentioned, wondering if it really could be the same dream that he’d had. But that didn’t make any sense. Two people couldn’t have the exact same dream.

“You were really rude to Sousuke,” Makoto said, pulling Haruka from his reverie.

“Why should I be polite?” Haruka asked with a frown. “He doesn’t deserve it.”

“Because he and Rin are together now?”

Haruka said nothing, only fumed.

Makoto sighed. “Don’t spend the whole time Rin is here being angry. Don’t waste this opportunity to spend time with him. You’ll regret it.”

With that, he left Haruka to join the others in the waves.

So meddlesome.

Haruka sighed softly, then ran down to the beach to dive into the waves. He came up beside Rin, who smiled tentatively. Haruka responded with a splash.

“Let’s race,” he said.

Instantly, Rin brightened. Rei gave the signal, and the two of them swam toward a buoy floating in the distance, neither of them having to say that that was their destination.

 

***

 

Nobody wanted to part when it was time to head home. Nagisa, Rei, and Rin tried not to cry, but of course they all did. Rin and Sousuke’s bus arrived first, which would take them back to Sousuke’s home, where Rin would spend the night until his flight the next morning. Before Rin could board, Haruka pulled him aside.

“I . . . I hope you’re happy,” Haruka said sincerely, though it took some effort to admit it.

Rin looked surprised, but then he smiled. “I am, Haru,” he said. He glanced over Haruka’s shoulder to where he knew Makoto was hovering. “I hope you’re happy too.” He looked back at Haruka with a knowing grin.

Haruka blinked, taken aback by that implication. “We—we’re not . . .”

Rin punched Haruka’s shoulder lightly. “If you say so.”

He turned then to say one last goodbye to Gou, Rei, Nagisa, and Makoto. Haruka stared after him, wondering if Rin knew something that he didn’t. Shaking his head to clear it, Haruka approached Sousuke. 

“If you hurt him . . .” he said, knowing he didn’t need to finish the threat.

Sousuke knew too. He nodded. “I won’t.”

The two of them got onto the bus, giving everyone one last wave before it pulled away. Gou, Nagisa, and Rei’s bus was next. Since Haruka and Makoto’s flight didn’t leave until the morning as well, they’d gotten a hotel room on the beach.

Nagisa chattered on about all the things they would need to do at their next reunion. Haruka could tell that he was trying not to cry again, distracting himself and them with his words so none of them had to dwell on the fact that they’d be leaving each other again very soon. Now that it was time to say goodbye, Haruka was struck by how much he didn’t want to. He hadn’t realized until these two days just how much he’d missed his team. 

“Haruka-senpai,” Rei said softly as Nagisa ran out of steam and trailed off. “It was truly wonderful to spend time with you and Makoto-senpai again.”

Nagisa nodded, biting his lip as tears filled his eyes.

Haruka swallowed hard, wanting to return the compliment, but embarrassed by his emotions and the fact that, as always, finding the right words was difficult for him. He turned to look at Makoto for help.

“We had a wonderful time with you as well, Nagisa, Rei,” Makoto said with a tender smile. He laid his hand on Nagisa’s head, who nuzzled against him. His other hand went to Rei’s shoulder. “We really appreciate what the two of you have done, not only with the swim club, but also in encouraging us in our dreams. We really hope that the two of you discover your dreams and are able to fulfill them. We’ll be here to cheer you on, no matter what.”

Haruka nodded. “Yeah,” he said, relieved and gratified for Makoto’s way with words.

Gou watched with a sympathetic smile, as the four of them hugged. The second bus arrived, but they clung to each other until Gou had to gently pull Nagisa and Rei away to board the bus. Reluctantly, they followed her.

Before it pulled away, however, Nagisa stuck his head out the window.

“Oh yeah, and guess what? Me and Rei-chan had sex last night!”

The bus drove off to Rei’s horrified “Nagisa-kun!” and Nagisa’s cackling.

Makoto waved, laughing softly. “Looks like you and I are the only ones who didn’t get lucky last night, Haru-chan.”

Haruka looked away. What did he mean by _that_? He fought a blush.

“Don’t call me ‘-chan.’”

 

 

The sun was getting low in the sky, as Haruka walked beside Makoto along the boardwalk. Makoto pondered aloud where they should eat, to which the only thing Haruka offered to help was “do they have mackerel?”

Makoto was on his fourth suggestion, when a familiarly irritating voice called out, “Hey Makoto! Haruka!”

Haruka stopped walking, wondering why the universe seemed to hate him, as Makoto turned to greet the newcomer.

“Hey, Kisumi! Hayato!”

Suppressing a sigh, Haruka turned in time to see Kisumi and his little brother come to a stop in front of them. Hayato immediately flung himself onto Makoto’s legs, hugging them tightly, as Kisumi panted softly from the run, pushing his fingers through his hair. He looked stupid with his hair sticking up like that, Haruka thought. But he kept quiet this time.

“What are you doing in town?” Kisumi asked, while Hayato continued to cling to Makoto’s legs.

“We came to see our friends from the swim club,” Makoto explained. “A reunion of sorts.”

“Sounds like fun,” Kisumi grinned. “My family’s here for summer vacation. We just got in today. When are you leaving?”

“Ah, tomorrow morning, unfortunately.”

“Tachibana-san, how come you don’t come to the ITSC anymore?” Hayato asked.

“I’m in college now,” Makoto said, kneeling so he was at eye-level to the boy. “I’m learning how to be a coach, so I can come back and train you and the kids at ITSC all the time.”

“That would make me so happy! We miss you, Tachibana-san!” Hayato flung his arms around Makoto.

Haruka watched as Makoto returned the hug, again struck by how good and kind he was. It'd taken him a while to get used to the idea of never again swimming competitively with Makoto, but he knew that Makoto needed to be a trainer and a coach. He was so happy doing it, and Makoto of all people deserved to be happy. Haruka wanted him to do things that made him happy.

“We were just about to get something to eat if you want to join us, Makoto,” Kisumi offered, watching Makoto as well.

Haruka’s brightening mood spiraled back downward.

He took back part of what he’d thought before. Makoto couldn’t be happy with Kisumi.

“We—” he started, before Makoto cut him off.

“—would love to!”

Haruka frowned, as Makoto stood and allowed Kisumi to lead the way toward the restaurants. As he followed, Haruka wondered why Makoto hadn’t brushed Kisumi off the way he usually did. For the first time in a very, very long time, Haruka found himself completely confused by Makoto.

Up ahead, Makoto laughed at something Kisumi had said. Suddenly, Haruka had a horrifying thought. Makoto had mentioned earlier that only he and Haruka had not gotten “lucky” the previous night. Did he want to remedy that tonight? Did he want to get “lucky” with Kisumi?

Panic surged through him, and Haruka stopped dead in his tracks. Blood was rushing through his ears, and his chest felt tight. It was like he was drowning; only there was no water. His heart raced, and he began to feel dizzy. Swaying to the side, he almost toppled over . . .

. . . if it wasn’t for the strong arms that caught and steadied him.

“Haru?”

Haruka opened his eyes (when had he closed them?). Makoto had his hands on his shoulders and was looking at him worriedly. Haruka’s mouth felt dry. He licked his lips.

“Don’t,” he said, swallowing hard. It was all he could say with Kisumi standing right there watching them.

Makoto studied Haruka’s face for a few seconds, before he nodded.

“Okay, Haru,” he said quietly, before turning to Kisumi and Hayato. “Sorry, but I think I should go get Haru to lie down. We can catch up later, okay?”

“Sure,” Kisumi said. He lifted his hand in a slight wave. “Feel better, Haruka.”

Haruka stared at the ground, as the two of them left. He felt embarrassed after nearly fainting, and he got the feeling Makoto was somewhat exasperated with him.

Neither of them spoke, as they made their way to the hotel. Haruka could only think of how scared he’d been at the thought of losing Makoto. He realized how much he took him for granted, and how lost he’d be without him.

Of course, he knew that he would never truly lose Makoto, but things would be different. He wasn’t sure he could handle that. Still, he recognized that he was being selfish, so when they entered their hotel room, he turned to apologize for ruining Makoto’s evening.

But Makoto spoke before he could, looking at him with an expression that shook Haruka to the core.

“Why don’t you trust me, Haru?” he asked softly.

Haruka stared at him, dumbfounded.

Makoto sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I know you have abandonment issues, and I understand them. I always have. But you . . . do you honestly think I would leave you for Kisumi?”

Haruka’s eyes went wide. How had he . . .

But it was Makoto.

Of course he knew.

“I’m . . . I’m sorry.” It was all he could of to say.

“I didn’t tell you about my dream, did I?” Makoto said then, to which Haruka could only shake his head slowly. “You saved my life in it by sacrificing yourself. I thought you were dead, and life became meaningless without you. But then you came back, and I realized that you were my home, Haru. You’re as much a part of me as my own _soul_.”

Haruka stared. That dream . . .

“I had that same dream.”

“Huh?” Now it was Makoto’s turn to stare with wide eyes.

“In it you were a fireman, and you got trapped in a burning building while trying to save a kid. I saved you by becoming water and surrounding you with myself. I think I did die. But then I came back. I came back to you because you were my home too.” He paused, looking down then as his chest ached and embarrassment filled him. “You _are_ my home.”

For a moment there was only silence, then he heard Makoto say his name softly. Looking up, he noticed that Makoto had stepped closer. He was directly in front of him now, and Haruka had to tilt his head back to look into Makoto’s face. He was smiling that meaningful smile again. It caused Haruka’s stomach to drop, and his cheeks grew hot.

“We had the exact same dream, Haru. You know what that means?”

Haruka stared at him; having a feeling he knew what Makoto was going to say.

“It’s destiny,” Makoto finished.

Haruka was about to scoff at such a cheesy and completely Makoto-type statement, but before he could, Makoto leaned down and kissed him.

Automatically, Haruka stiffened. Makoto pulled away with a sheepish look.

“Sorry. Should I have asked fir—”

Haruka didn’t let him finish. He rose up on his toes slightly and kissed Makoto with all the emotion he felt but didn’t know how to say. Makoto responded by bending toward him, placing one hand on the small of Haruka’s back, guiding him closer. Haruka leaned into him, reaching up to grip Makoto’s shirt.

For a long moment they stood there, each giving and receiving in perfect, equal measure. It was like two pieces of a half coming together to make a single, beautiful whole. If this was what simply kissing was like . . .

Haruka trembled with anticipation, as he moved his hands down to start unfastening Makoto’s pants.

“Wait,” Makoto said, reaching down to take Haruka’s hands. 

Haruka looked up at him, confused, having thought they were on the same page.

“We are,” Makoto reassured him. “I just think that if we’re going to do this, we should do it right.”

Bemused, Haruka let Makoto lead him by the hand into the bathroom. His eyes widened then, as Makoto turned on the shower. He stared at the water, his heart pounding faster as his hands hastened to remove his clothes. Once he was down to his swimsuit, he stepped into the tub, facing the water as he allowed it to fall over his face. After a moment, he registered Makoto stepping into the tub behind him. He felt Makoto’s strong arms wrap around him, and he smiled as Makoto’s breath tickled his ear.

“I know that water gives you pleasure, Haru,” Makoto said, as his hands moved over Haruka’s stomach and abdomen. He stroked the skin so lightly; Haruka barely felt his fingers, though they caused his body to tremble. “I’ve always wanted to share that pleasure with you.”

Always?

Haruka turned his head slightly back toward Makoto. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” he asked.

It took Makoto a moment to respond. When he did, he sounded reluctant to admit it.

“Hm, well . . . because of Rin.”

Haruka stilled. The only sound in the room was that of the water leaving the showerhead and hitting their bodies and the tub beneath them. He bit his lip, looking down toward their feet.

“What did you know?” he asked then.

“I knew he had a crush on you. And for a while you seemed to have one on him too. I knew how important he was to you. I didn’t want to come between you.”

Haruka found he couldn’t confirm or deny this. “My feelings toward Rin have always been confusing,” he admitted. He watched the water as it swirled around their feet before running to the drain. “But . . .” He lifted his head, turning away from the water to look up at Makoto. “I’ve never, not once, been confused about my feelings toward you.”

He flushed as he said this, realizing then that Makoto was naked. He did his best to focus on Makoto’s smile, as it brightened his face.

“I love you,” Makoto said, happiness exuding from every part of him.

Haruka blinked, not having expected that type of response. He shuffled his feet slightly, squinting at the wall, the ceiling, the sink outside the door, before he finally looked back into Makoto’s beaming face.

“Hm . . . I guess . . . I love you too.”

His cheeks felt hot, and he wanted to bury his face somewhere, or run away, but at the same time he didn’t. Makoto chuckled, gently guiding Haruka back under the spray of the water. Immediately Haruka felt better, and he closed his eyes, tilting his head back to accept the stream of water on his face. He felt then the soft pressure of Makoto’s lips against his neck. He moaned, reaching out to steady himself on the wall beside them.

Makoto kissed down his neck and shoulder, moving then to his chest. Haruka bit his lip, already knowing where this was going. He thought about telling Makoto that he didn’t need to, that he’d honestly just be fine with Makoto simply kissing him under the water. But the second he felt Makoto’s lips at his abdomen, he changed his mind. He wanted this.

“Ma-Makoto,” he murmured, lowering his head and opening his eyes to look down at Makoto where he knelt in front of him.

“You and your swimsuits,” Makoto laughed softly, as he tugged Haruka’s suit down.

Haruka flushed, never having been naked in front of anyone before. His stomach was flip-flopping, his heart pounding. His body trembled, and he pressed his hand harder against the wall beside him, as Makoto took hold of him and began to rub him up and down.

A low moan sounded from his throat, as Haruka’s eyes closed again. His other hand trembled at his side, until Makoto took it in his, lacing their fingers together. Haruka gripped his hand tightly, a small cry escaping as Makoto lowered his mouth over him and gave a gentle suck.

The water pounded against his head and back, masking the loud hammering of Haruka’s heart. All he could hear was the water rushing over him, as the intense pleasure from Makoto’s ministrations surged through his body. He couldn’t tell if his moans were loud or not, so he wasn’t as embarrassed by them as he might’ve been otherwise.

At one point, Haruka ventured a look down at Makoto’s face, staring past his heaving chest to where Makoto’s lips moved back and forth. The sight was almost too much for him, and his knees buckled before he caught himself, his hips twitching. Quickly, he closed his eyes again, and allowed himself to be lost in the pleasure of Makoto’s mouth and tongue and the feel of the water running over him.

He couldn’t tell if it’d been a long time or only a few minutes, when the sensations became too much, and he cried out Makoto’s name, his hand clenching around Makoto’s, as his body trembled, and he came. He almost fell over, as Makoto continued to suck through his climax, but he caught himself against the wall. Finally, Makoto pulled away, and Haruka opened his eyes in time to see him spit toward the drain.

Haruka watched the white liquid disappear in the swirl of water, still in slight shock that it had happened at all. He panted hard, staring until Makoto squeezed his hand. His face felt flushed, as he turned to look up at Makoto’s face as the other boy stood.

“Makoto,” he said, unable to think of what to say after all that.

Makoto tilted his head and smiled. “Do you trust me now, Haru?” he asked.

Haruka nodded, swallowing hard, though he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever done that to anyone else. 

“It was my first time,” Makoto said, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel to dry himself off. “I hope it wasn’t bad.”

“It-it wasn’t,” Haruka assured him dazedly, shaking his head.

Makoto looked happy at this. “I’m glad,” he said, before wrapping the towel around his waist and moving to start brushing his teeth.

Haruka watched him, wondering if he wasn’t expecting anything in return. Then he realized that he probably wasn’t. That was just like Makoto. Give and never think about taking anything back. Haruka suddenly wished he were more experienced with this sort of thing. It frustrated him that he didn’t know how to make Makoto feel good in return.

Makoto finished at the sink, before moving toward the bed. Haruka stepped out of the shower, leaving his swimsuit behind, as he followed, not bothering with a towel.

“Wait, Makoto,” he said quietly, biting his lip then as he hesitated.

Makoto turned to look at him. He smiled then. “It’s okay, Haru. You don’t need to do anything for me.”

Haruka frowned in annoyance. “But I want to,” he said.

“But you don’t have to.” Makoto shook his head.

“Dammit, Makoto! Let me do something for you for once!” Haruka clenched his fists.

Makoto looked taken-aback. “But Haru . . . you do things for me all the time,” he said.

“It’s not enough,” Haruka insisted, shaking his head. Makoto was such a _good_ person. He deserved so much more than what Haruka could give him. “You-you deserve better.”

Makoto looked at him, understanding filling his expression then. He stepped forward, reaching up to touch Haruka’s cheek tenderly. Heat filled the spot, making Haruka feel warm, despite the fact that he was shivering in the cool air from the A/C unit, naked and dripping wet as he was 

“Haru,” Makoto said softly, stroking his thumb along Haruka’s cheekbone. “Please don’t ever feel like you’re not enough for me. You’ve saved me in more ways than one. You’re everything to me.”

Haruka looked up at Makoto, knowing that he meant every word. Although it made him feel better, it didn’t change the fact that right then Haruka wanted nothing more than to make Makoto feel as good as he’d made him feel. So he lifted up to kiss Makoto deeply, pressing up against him so Makoto was forced to step back until they reached the bed.

Still kissing him, Haruka reached down to pull Makoto’s towel away, dropping it to the floor. He felt Makoto shiver, and he took that as a good sign. Gently, he pushed Makoto away, down against the bed.

“I don’t have anything,” Makoto admitted softly then, looking up at Haruka.

For a moment, Haruka was confused as to what that meant, before he realized and flushed deeply. “You didn’t use anything on me,” he pointed out after a moment of gathering back his thoughts.

Makoto flushed. “That was irresponsible. I got caught up in the moment.”

“You said that it was your first time doing that. And this is my first time doing this,” Haruka said.

“I know, but still . . .”

“We’re clean.”

“Probably . . .”

Haruka sighed. “Do you want to go get something?”

Makoto stood, grabbing a pair of shorts and pants from his bag to pull on. “I’ll be right back,” he said, bending to give Haruka a quick kiss, before pulling on a shirt and some shoes and heading out the door.

Haruka watched him go, not sure what to do with himself while Makoto was gone. Finally, he just walked back into the bathroom to stand under the shower. He thought over everything he knew about sex, and he realized it wasn’t much. Most everything he’d heard about involved a guy and a girl, not two guys.

Realizing that he needed to do some research if he was to effectively make Makoto feel good the way he wanted him to, Haruka stepped out of the shower, turned off the water, and went to find his phone.

He was sitting on the bed reading on his phone, wrapped in a towel, face flushed but resolute, when Makoto returned. He carried with him a plastic bag, and he drew out a box of condoms and a small tube of lubricant, setting them on the bedside table.

“You sure you want to do this?” Makoto asked, noting Haruka’s red face.

Haruka quickly set the phone down, trying to get the images he’d seen out of his head. It helped when, after he nodded, Makoto started to strip again. He swallowed nervously, watching the process. He suddenly understood why Gou was so amazed by muscles. At least, he understood when it came to Makoto’s muscles.

“You’re shaking,” Makoto said softly, as he stepped up to him, placing a hand on Haruka’s side. He bent to kiss Haruka’s neck lightly, which didn’t help his nerves.

“I’m fine.”

He reached over to pick up the box of condoms, opening it and pulling one out. He struggled with opening the actual condom for a moment, but he refused Makoto’s help, managing to get it finally.

His fingers were trembling as he reached toward Makoto, and he hesitated, his heart pounding in his ears.

“Here,” Makoto said softly, taking it from Haruka and tugging on himself for a few seconds before he was hard enough to slip the condom on. This was accompanied by a couple soft moans from Makoto, as the taller boy bit his lip.

Haruka’s face grew red again just watching this, and he suddenly understood the definition of ‘sexy.’ His mouth felt dry, but he steadied himself. He wanted to do this. He pulled off his towel, dropping it beside Makoto’s, before gently pushing Makoto back against the bed once more.

As he picked up the lube, he went over in his mind briefly what he’d just learned about all this. Carefully, he rubbed a handful of lube over Makoto’s rubbered member. He was rewarded with soft pants and a couple whimpers of pleasure from Makoto, which emboldened him. He climbed on top of Makoto, leaning down to kiss him deeply. Makoto wrapped one arm around Haruka’s back, pulling him close in response, as he kissed him back.

He leaned away after a moment, looking down at Makoto as he tried to catch his breath.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” Makoto said, biting his lip.

“I’m not,” Haruka protested, which was a lie.

“I am,” Makoto admitted, flushing some then.

Haruka paused. “Do you want this?” he asked.

“More than anything.” The reply was immediate.

“Then don’t be nervous.”

Haruka moved his slicked fingers down between his own legs, rubbing his entrance before pushing a couple fingers into himself. He grimaced, taking a moment to recover, before moving his fingers in and out. Makoto watched him, his cheeks still pink, and Haruka tried not to feel embarrassed. He looked away, staring down at the blankets instead. After a few minutes, he felt he was used to the pressure and pain from having something inside him, and he moved to carefully lower onto Makoto.

“H-Haru!” Makoto gasped, his back arching slightly.

Haruka struggled to control his breathing. The pain was more than he’d been expecting, but the look on Makoto’s face was worth it. He moved to take Makoto’s hand with his clean one, lacing his fingers through his the same way Makoto had before to ground him. He could see it had the same effect on Makoto, as the other boy relaxed back into the mattress.

Slowly, Haruka began to rock his hips forward and then back, watching Makoto for any positive or negative reactions. As for himself, the movement felt strange, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it yet or not. But Makoto practically squirmed with pleasure, so Haruka decided that he liked this part of it at least.

He began to rock a little harder, until he started to feel something himself. It was a different kind of pleasure than when he’d been in Makoto’s mouth, not as sharp and potent. But it was there, and he found himself groaning softly along with Makoto.

“Ha-Haru. Haru.”

All of Makoto’s moans had Haruka’s name in them, which increased Haruka’s pleasure. After a moment, he leaned down to kiss Makoto, who responded with such intense passion, that it shocked Haruka. He paused his movements, melting into the kiss with a murmur. He was so caught up in it, that he didn’t realize he was turning over, until he felt the mattress against his back, and the weight of Makoto on top of him.

He arched up into him, and Makoto began thrusting his hips, moving in and out of Haruka slowly. The kiss stifled their moans, and Makoto gripped Haruka’s hand tightly, pressing it into the mattress above Haruka’s head. Haruka couldn’t stop his other hand from moving down between them. All these sensations and even just the look and feel of Makoto had gotten him hard again, and he began tugging on himself.

They fell into a rhythm, as smooth as if they were swimming, and Haruka again felt that completeness inside of him. He wondered briefly if Makoto felt it too, but he didn’t have time to ask. The tension built up inside of him, the pleasure pressing urgently to be released.

They came as one. Their voices cried out as one, and their bodies stiffened and trembled together. Then all was quiet, aside from their panted breaths, as they stilled.

Makoto rolled off after a moment, lying on his back beside Haruka as they continued to try and catch their breaths. Neither of them spoke, until Makoto pulled off the condom and tossed it in the trashcan by the bed.

“Haru,” he said then softly, turning to look down at him.

“Mm?”

“That was . . .”

“Yeah.”

Makoto lay back down, pressing his face into Haruka’s shoulder. They didn’t need to say anything to understand what had happened that night. This shift in their relationship had been a long time coming, and it felt right. Haruka knew that whatever happened in the future, he would always have this night. He would probably end up traveling to swim in various competitions across the globe, and Makoto would be back in Japan teaching. He wouldn’t always get to see Haruka’s meets, and Haruka wouldn’t always get to go home for the holidays.

But despite the distance they would face, Haruka knew that they would never truly be apart. Not while they had this night. Not while they had these feelings. And he felt confident that they would only grow stronger.

“I’m hungry,” Makoto said, breaking the silence. “We should order room service.”

“We should get mackerel,” Haruka agreed.

Makoto laughed, as he sat up and reached for the phone. “Mackerel it is, Haru-chan.”

It was only after they’d showered, eaten, and gone to bed, both of them snuggled under the covers beside each other, that Haruka realized that he hadn’t told Makoto not to call him ‘-chan’ and that, for the first time, it hadn’t bothered him at all.


End file.
